Then his season was over, two yards short of the milestone. It would have been his third straight 1,000-yard season with two games to go.

Cruz appeared to catch a 16-yard pass late in the third quarter two weeks ago against the Seattle Seahawks. It would have given him 1,014 receiving yards for the season.

But Seahawks coach Pete Carroll challenged the play as Cruz laid on the field in pain after being flipped on his head by cornerback Jeremy Lane. After further review, Cruz – who suffered a concussion and a knee injury that ultimately ended his season – did not complete the catch. The ball came loose when he fell to the ground. The pass was ruled incomplete, the yards taken off the board.

“I wish I could go back and get [those 2 yards],” Cruz said Friday, the first time he’s spoken since suffering the injury. “It’s OK. Things happen. When I was on the flight going to get my surgery a fan came up to me and said, ‘Don’t worry about those 2 yards. You still got a 1,000 in my book.’ That sealed the deal for me. I knew I didn’t need them.

“But, obviously as a competitor, you want to go out there and get those two. I just couldn’t get those this year unfortunately. It’s cool.”

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It's easier to absorb the blow considering it didn’t hurt Cruz’s pocket book. Players often have statistical incentives written into their contract. A 1,000-yard receiving season wasn’t among those in Cruz’s new deal, which he signed this past offseason.

“I didn’t, thank God. My agent structured it the right way,” Cruz said with a chuckle. “So it was good. You’re not the first person to ask me that though.”